Arsenal beats Bournemouth and remains his lead despite Manchester City's pressure

Bournemouth and Arsenal faced each other this Saturday, January 3, on Matchday 20 of the Premier League, in a crucial fixture for both sides. Mikel Arteta’s team were looking to extend their lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa, while Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth aimed to climb away from the lower half of the table.

Arsenal arrived in strong form after dismantling one of their closest challengers, Aston Villa, with a convincing 4–1 win at the Emirates Stadium. Bournemouth, meanwhile, had drawn 2–2 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their previous outing.

The match got off to a nightmare start for Arsenal. In the opening minutes, Bournemouth took the lead through Evanilson in the 9th minute, after the Brazilian striker capitalized on a costly mistake by Arsenal defender Gabriel. Left unmarked, Evanilson finished calmly to ignite celebrations at the Vitality Stadium.

Arsenal responded quickly. Just six minutes later, Gabriel redeemed himself by scoring the equalizer. Following a long attacking move down the right flank, a loose ball fell to the Brazilian defender, who found the net to make it 1–1 — his second consecutive goal after scoring against Aston Villa last weekend.

In the second half, Arsenal took control of the game and eventually went ahead through Declan Rice. In the 53rd minute, the English midfielder received a pass from Martin Ødegaard just outside the box and struck a powerful long-range effort to score what proved to be the winning goal at the Vitality Stadium.

Then Declan Rice took his second oportunity in the match and score one again in Vitality Stadium. A delivery from Bukayo Saka down the right flank, all the way to the byline, once again found the midfielder, who made no mistake in getting on the scoresheet.

Minutes after Arsenal’s third goal, Bournemouth pulled one back through Junior Kroupi in the 76th minute. A powerful strike from outside the box left David Raya with no chance, finding the net at the south end of the Vitality Stadium.

With the victory, Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points over Manchester City — who still have a game in hand against Chelsea on January 4 — and now sit as clear leaders with a strong chance of ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

Arteta’s side will next host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on January 8 for Matchday 21, while Bournemouth are set to welcome Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium in their upcoming league fixture.